There are many examples of this kind of thing throughout history. I was actually inspired by a specific historical event; I came across the true story of a village in Oxfordshire in the 1700s in which a great rumor was said to be spreading that five sisters had been “seized with frequent barking in the manner of dogs.” I was obviously fascinated to imagine how the girls’ community would have responded to their case, and how this rumor spreading might easily have become dangerous and even violent…I agree [that the] incredibly sinister aspect of Shirley Jackson’s work, the vilification of the mundane…is definitely terrain that The Hounding shares with Jackson’s stories. Like her, I’m very interested in thinking about the everyday awfulness of people, but I also wanted to try to understand even my most detestable characters. I really wanted to find a degree of sympathy for all of them in order to inhabit their thoughts and feelings.
― Xonebe Purvis, Interview, Indies Introduce, American Booksellers Association
What booksellers are saying about The Hounding
- I am in awe. I am definitely going to have to sit and think about all this book laid out in terms of themes, parallels and symbolism. From the wildness of grief, not know what you become as you age, to poignant commentary of societal views of women who desire freedom and autonomy. This book juggles all this really well with a gripping story, but also simple and straight to the point; no unessesary fluff. Which is really nice. The ending mad me cry for sure, it is so heartbreaking but hopeful at the same time.
― Meghan Haile, The Lynx in Gainesville, Florida | BUY
- Languid like the Thames and scorching like the relentless summer it takes place in, The Hounding threads and winds beautifully in the alternating perspectives of five villagers who all hold their own convictions about the Mansfield sisters. I devoured this debut, and I remain haunted by it still.
― Taylor Brown, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas | BUY
- Ah, yes, the crime of being female and not bowing to patriarchal and societal expectations. I finished this book and immediately wanted to go out into the street and start barking like a dog. Xenobe Purvis is serving up approachable allegory, a modern classic, that will be the talk of the town in August! There’s a lot for a reader to unpack as the story explores how being different gets twisted into being other, which quickly morphs into being dangerous. It’s a quick read, layered with meaning, brimming with atmosphere, and full of questions… is it safer or easier to be a girl or a dog? How do people come to such hatred and violence? And where does the real danger lie in our society? Told with expert technique, lovely prose where every word seems to hold two meanings, and alarming accuracy, The Hounding will follow you around like a stray dog long after finishing the last page.
― Emily Lessig, The Violet Fox Bookshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia | BUY
About Xonebe Purvis
Xonebe Purvis was born in Tokyo in 1990. She studied English Literature at the University of Oxford, has an MA in creative writing from Royal Holloway, and was part of the London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme. She is a writer and literary researcher, with essays published in the Times Literary Supplement, the London Magazine, and elsewhere.
